


Inaction

by SaraJaye



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Cemetery, Chocolate Box Treat, Crimson Flower Path, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Established Relationship, F/F, Guilt, Hugs, Post-Black Eagles Route (Fire Emblem: Three Houses)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-30
Updated: 2020-01-30
Packaged: 2021-02-27 07:08:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 553
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22483102
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SaraJaye/pseuds/SaraJaye
Summary: It's not what she did, but what shedidn'tdo that eats away at her.
Relationships: Edelgard von Hresvelg/My Unit | Byleth
Comments: 2
Kudos: 26
Collections: Chocolate Box - Round 5





	Inaction

**Author's Note:**

  * For [firelord65](https://archiveofourown.org/users/firelord65/gifts).



The war is over, her goals have been achieved, and soon they'll be done with those who slither in the dark for good. Edelgard can't remember ever feeling this happy, this content. But just days before their wedding, Byleth takes her to Jeralt's grave, and the nagging guilt that's been pushed to the side for the past five years returns full force.

"I'm sorry," she says as Byleth lays her flower against the headstone. "I still can't help feeling responsible."

"You had nothing to do with it." Byleth draws her close, running her fingers through the long white hair Edelgard so rarely takes down these days. Today, she simply didn't feel like putting it up. "Kronya, she's the one who decided he had to go because he knew the truth. _She_ killed him." Edelgard closes her eyes, tensing in the embrace.

"But I allied myself with her and her kind."

"You made it clear you were using them as pawns," Byleth says. "Hubert explained everything when Arundel asked us to go on that mission, and you confirmed it. What Kronya did-"

"I _know._ " Edelgard sighs. Logically she knows this; if it had been up to her she would have killed Kronya immediately instead of letting her sneak into Garreg Mach as the deceased Monica. If she'd kept a tighter grip on them, Solon never would have conducted those experiments. Jeralt never would have had to come to Remire, never learned the truth, never been asked to save students being turned into beasts later on, and he'd still be alive.

It's what she _didn't_ do that makes her feel responsible for the loss of someone dear to the woman she loves more than her own life. And it hurts.

"I could have stopped them." Byleth tightens her arms, drawing Edelgard close to her chest. The firm, steady beat of Byleth's heart fills her ears, reverberating through her, and Edelgard lets herself relax.

"I've never blamed you for that, and I know Father wouldn't, either," Byleth whispers. "Edelgard, I've never once regretted choosing to stay with you even after learning your secrets, and I'm not about to start now. I'm happy I chose this path, and I'm proud of you."

Edelgard buries her face further against the other's chest, blinking back tears as a flood of relief courses through her. Maybe deep down, she'd just needed to hear it from Byleth herself. Selfish, perhaps, but her former professor has always been her greatest weakness.

"Besides," Byleth continues, "my father never trusted Rhea or the way she ran the church. If he were here today, he'd be glad to see you reforming the whole system." Edelgard laughs softly, opening her eyes and raising her gaze to meet her lover's.

"You're laying it on a little thick...Byleth." It still feels strange calling her that and not "Professor," but Byleth insists, and she's slowly getting more used to the idea than she intially was. "Thank you."

"I love you," Byleth says. "My heart made its choice long before the Holy Tomb, and I've never regretted a minute of it."

Edelgard places her own flower atop Jeralt's grave, casting a last look at it before they return to their carriage. It's dark when they finally return to Enbarr, and the stars are the brightest they've been in months.


End file.
